Are You of Value to Me? A Partner Selection Reference Method for Software Ecosystem Orchestrators

Abstract Software ecosystem orchestrators have insufficient insight and lack academic guidance in the partner selection criteria and methods available to aid them in their partner selection process. Therefore, orchestrators fail to vet, select, and engage suitable partners for their software ecosystem. Through six case studies with software orchestrators, we extract six industry methods for partner selection. Using situational method engineering, we create PALERMO: the PArtner seLEction Reference MethOd, which is subsequently evaluated by three different experts in the context of three more case studies. The method is composed and described using method engineering, and a list of partner selection criteria. Together, the method and list of criteria aid orchestrators in organizing and optimizing the partner selection process. The evaluation of the method in three extensive case studies, shows that the method is complete, effective, useful, and easy to use.